The second day of CFL free agency in Argoland ushered in the return of Swayze Waters, the departure of Noel Prefontaine for the second time in as many years, and additional moves aimed at bolstering the roster.

Off the field, fans were thrown a bone by the Rogers Centre, which provided dates that at least provide some consistency in schedule.

Seamheads are no longer planning a parade route, but the Argos will still have to deal with the fact that they’ll be the only team in the nine-team CFL to basically manage three bye weeks.

Adversity has never bothered head coach Scott Milanovich and his tough-minded approach and attitude has rubbed off on his players, who should once again be in a position to compete for a championship.

General manager Jim Barker, who signed Shea Emry on Tuesday’s opening day on free agency, considered the biggest name to change teams, brought back Waters on Wednesday, a move that solidifies the team’s special teams.

Waters is a true weapon, capable of making field goals from any distance, especially indoors, while his ability to punt the football continues to improve.

While his directional punting needs to be refined, Waters is one of those guys who is hard to replace amid talk the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were keen on reuniting Waters with Mike O’Shea.

“We believe Swayze Waters has arguably the strongest leg in the CFL,’’ said Barker. “He has been a reliable player for our team and is a proven competitor.”

Waters’ 2012 season began on the wrong foot when he damaged his groin on the second-half kickoff against Hamilton.

It took him months to recover, but once he found his groove, Waters was lights out.

“I am extremely happy to be staying in the Argonaut family,’’ said Waters. “The entire organization has been incredible to me and my family. The team, fans and city have made this place feel like home and I am grateful.”

Waters is a team guy whom teammates respect.

Ditto Prefontaine, but there’s no room for the affable veteran.

Prefontaine was given his release last off-season, only to return prior to the start of the regular season as insurance for Waters.

As fate would have it, Prefontaine was thrust into action quicker than anyone thought following Waters’ injury.

While no official announcement has been made, word is that long-time CFL coach Jim Daly, the epitome of class, will succeed O’Shea as Toronto’s special teams co-ordinator, a role Daly last served under George Cortez in Hamilton two years ago.

Milanovich has said he’s close to announcing his staff, but is awaiting for the proverbial I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed.

He may have a familiar face in Jonathan Himebauch, whom Milanovich named to his original staff two years ago, only to see Himebauch bolt to Wake Forest.

The Argos have no offensive line coach, but Himebauch’s name has also been linked with Winnipeg and Edmonton.

Along the line, the Argos are loading up for a very competitive camp with the real possibility of starting multiple Canadians.

For most of last season, the team went with American tackles.

Veteran Wayne Smith has come to terms, while Mac product Matt Sewell has also struck a deal after the Argos got lucky in last year’s draft when the hulking lineman slipped in the process, an inevitability when an opportunity in the NFL was presented.

The Argos weren’t all that interested in Pat Watkins, who, as expected, has followed Jones to Edmonton, while emerging defensive lineman David Lee has signed with Saskatchewan.

LABOUR OF LOVE

The Labour Day Classic will be back in The Hammer, while the Argos are heading back to University of Toronto for a pre-season game.

Of the many highlights surrounding Wednesday’s release of the CFL schedule, the one that resonates most is the return of the Labour Day Classic, the victim of a multitude of issues and oversights in recent years.

Not this year, though, as Hamilton prepares to play in a new stadium, even if construction is delayed and forces the hometown Ticats to play a pre-season game at Mac.

In fact, Hamilton’s first three regular-season games will be on the road, with the team’s home opener slated to be against expansion Ottawa on July 26 amid talk of contingency plans in the event Tim Hortons Field isn’t ready to be unveiled.

The CFL kicks off the season on June 29 in Regina pitting the host Roughriders and Ticats in a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup, which was also in Regina.

The season ends in Vancouver on Nov. 30 with the Grey Cup.

In between, the schedule has the Argos in Winnipeg for Toronto’s pre-season opener and back in the Peg for the regular-season kickoff.

Last year’s home schedule for the Argos was a perplexing mix featuring virtually every day of the week, an onerous arrangement that forced the team to play four away games in a row.

The Argos would win each game, a CFL first, but it proved a grind, turning comical when a team bus broke down en route from Calgary to Edmonton.

Once again, the Argos will be forced to play four straight on the road this season, but at least one of those games will be in Hamilton.

The team closes out the season with five of its last six games at home.

All told, the Argos will play at home on six weekends, one Tuesday night and two Friday nights.

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Argos re-sign talented kicker Waters

The second day of CFL free agency in Argoland ushered in the return of Swayze Waters, the departure of Noel Prefontaine for the second time in as many years, and additional moves aimed at bolstering the roster.

Off the field, fans were thrown a bone by the Rogers Centre, which provided dates that at least provide some consistency in schedule.

Seamheads are no longer planning a parade route, but the Argos will still have to deal with the fact that they’ll be the only team in the nine-team CFL to basically manage three bye weeks.

Adversity has never bothered head coach Scott Milanovich and his tough-minded approach and attitude has rubbed off on his players, who should once again be in a position to compete for a championship.

General manager Jim Barker, who signed Shea Emry on Tuesday’s opening day on free agency, considered the biggest name to change teams, brought back Waters on Wednesday, a move that solidifies the team’s special teams.